The Gulf Shores team won the women's 7.5 crown at the 2012 USTA Southern Combo Doubles Alabama State Championships at Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club in Gulf Shores, Ala., on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (Mark Inabinett/minabinett@al.com)

GULF SHORES, Alabama -- Sunday afternoon was Island Time at Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club. And you may be thinking that it's always Island Time here.

But this was a different sort of Island Time. Not the laid-back vibe of the beach, but the time to win. And when Traci Mason and Barbara Ybarra put the finishing touches on their victory in a match against Shoals, it was time for the members of the Gulf Shores women's 7.5 team to celebrate their state title at the 2012 USTA Southern Combo Doubles Alabama State Championships.

The Gulf Shores team was one of two from Coastal Alabama to capture state crowns and advance to the Southern Combo Doubles sectional championship that will be played in Mobile March 1-3. The Mobile women's 9.5 team wrapped up its state championship on Saturday.

Traci Mason of Gulf Shores reaches to make a return during the women's 7.5 championship match against Shoals at the 2012 USTA Southern Combo Doubles Alabama State Championships at Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club in Gulf Shores, Ala., on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (Mark Inabinett/minabinett@al.com)

While the Mobile women's 9.5 team rolled off three victories on Friday and Saturday in what amounted to a best-of-five series against Birmingham for the state title, the Gulf Shores women's 7.5 team had to sidestep defeat in almost every match, yet it still finished 6-0 for the tournament.

Gulf Shores won five of its matches 2-1. In the semifinal victory over Huntsville, every match was decided by a tiebreaker.

"We felt the pressure for sure," Gulf Shores captain Carrie Brabner said. "But we just believed the entire time that we had the best team. We knew going into it that these other teams have a lot bigger pool to pull from. But I picked some awesome ladies, and they were here the whole time, they were committed and they came to win. And we did."

Jennifer Medeiros of Mobile readies to make a return during the women's 6.5 championship match against Birmingham at the 2012 USTA Southern Combo Doubles Alabama State Championships at the Beach Club in Gulf Shores, Ala., on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (Mark Inabinett/minabinett@al.com)

In the championship round, Brabner and Renee Burroughs defeated Shoals' Daphne Jones and Undrea Gonzalez 6-4, 6-2, and Shoals' Scarlet Bradley and Stacey LeAnn Strickland downed Laura Elliott and Lauren Kimbrough 6-2, 6-1 with one match still on the court.

In that match, Mason and Ybarra defeated Susie Stockton and Elaine Vaughn 6-1, 6-4 to secure the state championship for Gulf Shores.

"We are very happy," said Brabner, who was playing at the tournament for the fourth year. "We have always come, and every single year, we have played in the semifinals and lost in the semifinals. The wild card, who's always been in our bracket, played in the opposite side of the semifinals and ended up winning the whole thing. This is the first year we've won the whole thing, and we are so excited."

Mobile's Leigh Owens lines up a backhand during a women's 8.5 match against Shoals at the 2012 USTA Southern Combo Doubles Alabama State Championships at the Beach Club in Gulf Shores, Ala., on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (Mark Inabinett/minabinett@al.com)

Brabner said the Gulf Shores team had to overcome the ordinary Island Time even to reach the state tournament.

"It's difficult down here getting people to commit to teams," she said. "You're on Island Time here. It's hard to get people to get together and commit to a day. That was our biggest challenge. But we got some teams together. We played. We won. And we came here with the attitude that we are going to win.

Other members of the Gulf Shores team are Stephanie Loper, LaNora Salter and Lisa Kimbrough.

The wild-card team in women's 7.5 did indeed come from Gulf Shores' flight. But the Mobile team from Spirit Park in Spanish Fort captained by Leslie P. Largue and Suzy L. Ginsberg fell to Shoals 2-1 in the semifinals on Sunday morning.

Another Mobile team reached a championship match on Sunday, but came up short in the finals. The squad captained by Holly Summerour warmed up on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Shoals to finish Flight 1 play with a 5-0 record. In the finals, however, Birmingham took a 3-0 victory over Mobile.

The Mobile women's 9.5 team did not play on Sunday after wrapping up the title on Saturday. The team is captained by Katherine Stubbs. Other team members are Lynes Crocker, Kelsey Russell, Cathy Mosteller, Mary Lucy West Mattei, Hallet Green, Elizabeth Teague, Sally Wilson, Michelle Spires and Mollie Johnston.

In women's 5.0 play, Birmingham went 4-0 to win the title, including a 3-0 victory over Mobile on Sunday. Mobile finished second at 2-2.

In women's 5.5, Tuscaloosa won the title with a 4-0 record. Mobile finished 1-3.

In women's 8.5, Mobile gave the champion, Dothan, its only loss in seven matches at the tournament. However, the Mobile team wound up third at 4-3 after beating Birmingham 2-1 and losing to Shoals 2-1 on Sunday.

In men's 6.5, Birmingham won with a 5-0 record. Mobile finished third at 3-2 after a 2-1 victory over Tuscaloosa on Sunday.

In men's 7.5, Shoals defeated Birmingham 3-0 in the championship match. The Mobile team captained by Kristopher Frost and Kenny Sands finished 1-3. The Mobile team captained by James M. Nolan went 0-4.

In men's 8.5, Tuscaloosa took the title with a 5-0 record. Mobile finished 1-4.

In men's 9.5, Tuscaloosa faced Mobile in a five-match series and won the first four before the fifth was called off.

More than 600 players took part in the tournament, which started on Thursday and concluded on Sunday.